What is the axiom for information architecture (not web architecture)?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: \"Tim Berners-Lee\" <timbl@w3.org>
To: \"Graham\" <dtcd@mac.com>
Cc: <www-tag@w3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 3:43 PM
Subject: Re: New URI scheme talk in RSS-land


> 
> This is interesting question.
> 
> 1.  There is a certain grace to the simplicity of a reference with no 
> indication of what to do with something.
> - Such a reference is much more reusable (you can bookmark it, email it 
> etc);
> - It corresponds to a \"place\" in the \"navigation\" of the hypertext, so 
> human beings can use their inherent mental navigation metaphors;
> - It respects that the user may want control of what to with the thing.
> 
> Yes, sometimes the author wants to suggest that a new window should be 
> opened. We start to slip down a slippery accessibility slope and device 
> independence cliff if not careful,  but it is useful to specify a 
> target window for example.  Of course if you take this to extremes you 
> end up with scripting languages, and questions of how to make the user 
> aware of what he or she is actually doing.  You are wright that if you 
> are going to specify a more complex behavior then it is logically part 
> of the link.

But don't we have this already with the principle of language content negotiation, for example in Apache and implemented on parts of the W3C site? A single URL resolves according to the client browser language preferences to a particular language-specific resource.

As well known in the ISO Topic Maps community, it's important to realise that the map is not the territory: URIs might be the axiom of web architecture, but we also need an axiom for the higer level information architecture: identification is not the same as addressing, even if we need both and - as you rightly point out - a series of resolving mechanisms between both.

The key question is whether rules/guidelines for \"Single ID\"-to-\"multiple address\" resolution is properly in the domain of W3C, IETF or left to other consortia like OASIS, not-for-profit orgs like Handle or DOI, or the market.

(BTW, these issues were the subject of my paper this week at XML2003:
http://www1.europarl.eu.int/forum/interop/dispatch.cgi/xml_best/docProfile/100015/d20031209220551/No/0048_v0_EN.ppt
Sorry about the URL, but that's part of the problem :-(

Peter

__________________________________
Peter Brown

Head of Information Resources Management
European Parliament

This mail reflects the opinion of the author. Affiliation is indicated for information only.
Any correspondence regarding my official function should be addressed to pbrown@europarl.eu.int